The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

5 things I never did as a Straight A student 📚

Most students think better grades come from studying more.

In reality, better grades often come from avoiding ineffective learning habits.

1 I never reread notes for hours.

Rereading feels productive because it feels familiar.

But recognizing information is NOT the same as remembering it.

Instead I focused on:
- Active recall
- Practice questions
- Blurting
- Teaching concepts from memory

The struggle to remember is what strengthens memory.

2 I never studied without understanding the exam.

Most students blindly read textbooks.

I studied:
- Past papers
- Mark schemes
- Repeated question styles
- Frequently tested topics

Efficient learning means knowing what deserves the MOST attention.

3 I never sacrificed sleep to study.

All nighters destroy:
- Focus
- Memory
- Processing speed
- Concentration

Your brain literally consolidates memory during sleep.

Studying tired for 8 hours is often worse than studying fresh for 3.

4 I never depended on motivation.

Motivation disappears quickly.

Good systems survive bad days.

That’s why I focused on:

- Study schedules
- Small habits
- Time blocking
- Reducing distractions
- Making starting easier

Consistency beats motivation every time.

5 I never learned passively.

Most students consume information.

Top students interact with it.

That’s why scientifically proven learning methods like:
- Active recall
- Spaced repetition
- Practice testing

Consistently outperform passive studying.

Learning strategies matter more than endless study hours.

Follow for more study tips ✌🏼

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2 days ago | [YT] | 791

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

Most students are still using study methods that FEEL productive…

But barely improve retention 😵‍💫

Highlighting.
Rereading.
Watching lectures again.

The problem is that these methods keep you stuck in passive learning.

Your brain recognizes the information…
But it never truly retrieves or applies it.

That’s why top students study differently 📈

They spend more time:
- applying
- analyzing
- evaluating

Instead of endlessly consuming information.

A few science backed learning strategies that work WAY better:

🧠 The Feynman Technique
Teach the topic out loud with no notes.
If you cannot explain it simply, you probably do not understand it deeply enough.

🔥 Practice Questions
Active recall forces your brain to retrieve information from memory.
That struggle is what strengthens retention.

📚 Whiteboard Rehearsal
Write everything you know from memory, identify gaps, then repeat.
Amazing for efficient learning and spotting weak areas fast.

⏱️ Practice Exams
Most students study the content but never practice the CONDITIONS.
Timed exams train focus, retrieval and performance under pressure.

The students who perform best usually are not the smartest.

They simply use better learning methods consistently.

That’s how you:
- study faster
- remember more
- improve time management
- beat procrastination
- make information actually stick

Comment “FAST” and I’ll send you more science backed study strategies 🚀

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5 days ago | [YT] | 777

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

Most students think deep focus means forcing themselves to sit for 6 hours straight.

That usually leads to:
- low retention
- procrastination
- brain fog
- burnout

Your brain simply is not designed to focus endlessly without recovery.

The students who study effectively usually manage their ENERGY better instead of trying to rely on motivation all day.

A few things that massively improve concentration and efficient learning:
- study in 90 minute focus blocks
- take proper recovery breaks
- switch subjects between sessions
- avoid scrolling during breaks
- use active movement to reset your brain
- keep your environment distraction free

One of the biggest mistakes students make is trying to “push through” mental fatigue.

But once focus drops, the quality of learning drops with it.

That’s why learning strategies like:
- interleaving
- active breaks
- structured focus sessions
- environmental design

work so well for long study days 📈

You do NOT need superhuman discipline.

You need systems that work with your brain instead of against it.

That’s how you study longer consistently without frying your brain 🧠

I created a full free video explaining the science behind learning, retention, focus and what actually works.

Comment “RESEARCH” and I’ll send it 🚀

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6 days ago | [YT] | 867

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

ACTIVE RECALL PRACTICE
1x day: Close notes, write from memory. Roediger shows retrieval practice builds stronger retention than passive review.
1x week: Full chapter test yourself. Karpicke shows recognition creates false confidence while retrieval builds real understanding.
1x month: Review mistake logs, identify weak patterns. Ericsson shows expertise develops by working on specific weaknesses.

SPACED REPETITION SCHEDULE
1x day: Review yesterday’s material from memory. Ebbinghaus shows first 24 hours are critical for consolidation.
1x week: Go back through last week’s topics. Spacing fights memory decay by strengthening pathways each retrieval.
1x month: Full review of everything from 30 days ago. Ebbinghaus proves spacing at increasing intervals locks information into permanent storage.

STUDY ENVIRONMENT CHECK
1x day: Clear your desk completely. Fogg shows environmental design beats willpower.
1x week: Deep clean your study space. Physical order creates mental clarity.
1x month: Reorganize entire setup. Small optimizations compound over time.

PRACTICE & APPLICATION
1x day: Do 10 practice problems in hardest subject. Bjork shows struggling with challenging material creates stronger learning.
1x week: Complete one full practice exam with timer. Timed conditions train performance under pressure.
1x month: Take practice exams for multiple subjects. Reveals which subjects need more attention.

MISTAKE CORRECTION
1x day: Fix one problem you got wrong. Metcalfe shows correcting errors shortly after making them creates stronger learning.
1x week: Redo entire failed quiz from memory. Forces rebuilding understanding from scratch.
1x month: Create summary of all repeated mistakes. Repeated errors are patterns revealing gaps.

These are a system where daily actions build weekly progress that compounds into monthly transformation.

Follow for more ✌🏼

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1 week ago | [YT] | 534

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

Most students don’t struggle with studying because they are lazy.

They struggle because they try to study while mentally exhausted.

After a full day of classes, work, lectures, notifications and constant stimulation, your brain is already drained. Then you sit down to study and expect yourself to focus for another 4 hours straight.

That usually leads to procrastination, scrolling or passive studying that barely sticks.

The solution is not forcing yourself harder. It’s learning how to work WITH your brain instead of against it.

A few things that help massively:
- take a proper mental reset before studying
- avoid high stimulation scrolling during breaks
- lower the barrier to starting
- use active recall instead of rereading
- do the hardest cognitive work first
- remove distractions before you begin

Efficient learning is not about studying longer.

It’s about protecting your mental energy and using better learning strategies.

Most high performers are not motivated all the time. They simply build systems that reduce friction and make consistency easier.

That’s how you beat procrastination long term 📈

Comment “COACH” if you want help improving your:
- time management
- effective learning
- focus
- consistency
- study systems 🚀

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1 week ago | [YT] | 875

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

Most adult learners are using AI completely wrong.

They use it to copy answers instead of building actual understanding.

These 5 AI prompts help you learn faster, improve retention and study more efficiently next to your full time job 🚀

1 Socratic Tutor Prompt 🧠

Instead of asking AI to explain everything, let it guide your thinking through questions.

This forces active recall and deeper processing instead of passive learning.

Best used during the early learning stages when you are trying to understand new material without memorizing blindly.

2 Explanation Prompt 📚

One of the best ways to improve understanding is by seeing information at multiple levels of complexity.

If you can understand a topic like a child, a teenager and a university student, your brain builds stronger connections between concepts.

Then explain it back in your own words.
That is where real learning happens.

3 Summary Prompt ✍️

Most people think they understand something until they try to summarize it from memory.

This prompt exposes:

knowledge gaps

misunderstandings

weak connections

Perfect for transitioning from understanding into active learning.

4 Active Recall Prompt 🔁

Reading notes feels productive.
Retrieving information is what actually builds memory.

This prompt gradually increases difficulty and trains your ability to recall and apply information under pressure.

One of the best learning strategies for long term retention and exam prep.

5 Learn In Layers Prompt 🎯

Most exams test more than memorization.

This prompt trains every level of Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Remember → Understand → Apply → Analyze → Evaluate → Create

This helps you prepare for deeper thinking questions instead of only surface level recall.

AI becomes powerful when you stop using it as a shortcut and start using it as a learning coach.

Comment “AI” for the full video breakdown on how to use these prompts for efficient learning, time management and higher retention while balancing a busy schedule 💯

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1 week ago | [YT] | 797

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

You do NOT have a bad memory.

You just haven’t learned how your brain actually stores information.

Here are 5 science backed learning strategies that help you remember what you study for way longer:

1 Visual learning 🧠

Your brain remembers images faster than plain text.

Turn concepts into diagrams, mind maps, stories, flowcharts or mental pictures instead of only rereading notes. The more visual and connected the information becomes, the easier it is to retrieve later.

2 Chunking 📚

Your brain can only handle a limited amount of information at once.

Stop trying to memorize huge blocks of information. Break topics into smaller chunks and connect them together step by step. This reduces overload and improves long term retention.

3 The 2 7 30 Rule 🔁

This is one of the best spaced repetition methods for effective learning.

Review your material:

2 days later

7 days later

30 days later

Every review strengthens the memory pathway and slows down forgetting. Cramming may help you survive the exam. Spaced repetition helps you actually remember.

4 Your brain learns while you sleep 😴

Sleep is not “lost study time.”

While you sleep, your brain consolidates memories and transfers information into long term storage. Pulling all nighters damages focus, retention and recall way more than most students realize.

5 Watch one. Do one. Teach one. 🎯

One of the fastest ways to master a topic.

First watch someone explain it.
Then practice it yourself.
Then teach it in simple words without looking at your notes.

Teaching forces active recall and exposes gaps in your understanding immediately.

Effective learning is not about studying harder.
It’s about studying in a way your brain can actually remember.

Comment “LEARN” and I’ll send you more science backed learning methods to improve retention and beat procrastination 🚀

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1 week ago | [YT] | 753

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

Visuals that change your outlook on life.

The more I work on myself, challenges I’ve faced, problems solved and work performed, the more I find all of these visuals to be true.

Most people stay stuck, the ones who start moving and don’t stop moving will succeed.

Be that individual. Start, don’t stop, keep looking for small improvements, repeat.

You got this.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 1,114

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

One of the biggest mistakes students make is believing that studying longer automatically means studying better.

It doesn’t.

One of the best rules I ever created for myself in college was simple:

At 11 PM, I stopped.

No matter how much work was left.
No matter how stressed I felt.
No matter how tempted I was to “push a little longer.”

Because here’s the reality most students never realize:

In academics, there is ALWAYS more to do.

Another chapter.
Another flashcard set.
Another lecture.
Another assignment.

If you never create boundaries around studying, your brain eventually crashes for you.

A lot of students glorify exhaustion and late night grinding because it feels productive in the moment.

But studying while mentally exhausted often leads to:

Worse focus

Lower retention

More rereading

Slower thinking

Faster burnout

Your brain is not designed to perform at a high level endlessly without recovery.

Sleep is not a reward after studying.

Sleep IS part of learning.

Research on memory consolidation shows that your brain strengthens and organizes information during sleep. That means recovery directly affects efficient learning, focus, and long term retention.

Ironically, the students who recover properly are often the ones who perform more consistently over time.

Not because they work less.

But because they can sustain high quality work for longer without burning out.

That 11 PM rule helped me protect my energy, stay consistent, and perform better academically without destroying myself in the process.

And honestly…

That lesson became more valuable than any single study method I learned in college.

Comment “HELP” if you want my guide on building sustainable study habits and beating procrastination without relying on burnout 🚀

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1 week ago | [YT] | 794

The Study Coach - Tom Vorselen

Most people think procrastination means you’re lazy.

But that’s usually not true.

Procrastination is often an emotional response.

Your brain is not avoiding the task itself…
It’s avoiding the feeling the task creates.

Stress.
Overwhelm.
Fear of failure.
Pressure.
Boredom.
Uncertainty.

That’s why you suddenly want to:

- Scroll on your phone
- Clean your room
- Watch YouTube
- Do “easier” tasks first

Your brain is trying to escape discomfort and find immediate relief.

And the scary part?

The relief feels good temporarily… which trains the procrastination habit even deeper over time.

This is why beating procrastination is not just about discipline.

It’s about learning how to regulate discomfort long enough to start.

Once you understand this, you stop seeing yourself as “lazy” and start solving the real problem.

That shift changes everything.

If you’re serious about learning how to beat procrastination and make studying feel easier, I made a full YouTube video explaining this deeper.

It’s only 7 minutes long, but it can completely change how you look at procrastination.

Comment “7” and I’ll send it to you 🚀

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2 weeks ago | [YT] | 675